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Central Florida Birding Trip Report - January 1998

Well hello again everyone...I am back from Florida with my bird report as promised. I had a really enjoyable time there and can't wait to visit again! I went with my boyfriend, Mark, and stayed at my aunt's house in Palm Harbor (North of Clearwater). Below are all the details. Note: * indicates the bird was a lifer for me.

Thursday 1/15

The first full day we were in Florida, it rained very hard all day. But that didn't stop us from having a good time. Nor did it stop me from seeing lifebirds. I woke up in the morning, and went outside to pick oranges from my aunt's orange tree to make fresh orange juice. I looked up in a bare tree in the distance and saw my first Florida bird - as well as my first Florida lifebird - a *Red-Shouldered Hawk.

We headed to St. Petersburg to visit the Salvador Dali Museum. Along the way, I noticed a bunch of noisy black and brown birds. I identified them as Boat-tailed Grackles, and found them along almost every highway on which we travelled. It was nice to see them in a greener setting, as the last time I saw them, they were raiding a dumpster behind a diner in Queens. I also had a big surprise sighting on the way to St. Pete - a flyover *Sandhill Crane! And, from the very beginning, I noticed some familiar birds hovering overhead everywhere we travelled - Turkey Vultures. I am always thrilled to see them in New York, where they are semi-rare. A friend once told me where he was from, they were considered a "junk bird" because they were so common. In Florida, I bet they would be considered just that. I guess with the age of the population that lives in Florida, the vultures never have to worry about where they'll find their next meal...(just kidding). Another common roadside bird is the Northern Mockingbird. The line at the Florida International Museum were they had a Titanic exhibit was way too long for us impatient New Yorkers, so we headed to the Clearwater Mall and had all-you-can-eat pizza and saw the movie, "Titanic," instead. For three bucks a ticket (a buck an hour), how can you go wrong? (It is now $8-9 here, for you non-NYers.)

Friday 1/16

The following day, we went to Busch Gardens in Tampa. On our journey, as the car curved around the "loop" from one highway to another, I spotted a *Wood Stork near a small pond inside the loop. I also saw an American Kestrel perched on a wire along the roadside. This was getting good. Here I was, not even actively birding, and seeing lots of great birds. Of course, in Busch Gardens, the wildlife is all captive...or is it? Yes, there were many birds in cages and in exhibits, but there were also lots of interloping birds as well. Laughing, Herring and Ring-billed Gulls were found throughout the park. I even found a *Monk Parakeet. I gasped when, during the birds of prey show, 2 Ring-Necked Turtle Doves landed on the stage while they were showing off the hawks! The hawks were trained to only hunt and eat on command, luckily for those doves! I found the doves throughout the park and in other places in Florida, so I guess they are widespread in the wild there. Along with these "wild" birds, we enjoyed the captive ones as well - the spoonbill, hamerkopf, scarlet ibis, moorhen, flamingo, pelican, crane, peafowl, etc. I enjoyed the birds, my free beer sample, and a family-style dinner. We capped the night off with an oldies concert and a gourmet raspberry cheesecake.

Saturday 1/17

Our first "real" wildlife stop of the trip was Honeymoon Island the next day. There is a nice beach there and a great view of the water. I wish I had a scope! The moment I stepped out of the car, just inside the main entrance of the park, I saw a lifebird. It was a small flock of *Common Ground Doves. I crossed over the road to get a better look at the birds in the water. Right in front of me, I could see *Brown Pelicans feeding. They fly so gracefully over the water that I could have watched them for hours. Also in this particular spot, I made out Common Loon, Double-Crested Cormorant, Tri-Colored Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Red-Breasted Merganser, American Oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, and tons of Osprey. This park is supposed to host more Osprey than anywhere else in North America. And it sure seemed that way. There was one in just about every other tree!

We went a little bit further into Honeymoon Island, down to the beach, and onto the Pelican and Osprey trails. There we saw Horned and Pied-billed Grebes, more herons and egrets, tons more Osprey, and two surprises: *Whimbrel and *Loggerhead Shrike. I also got to see my first armadillo!

There is a boat that leaves Honeymoon Island and takes you to Caladesi Island. It was tempting, but we wanted to go further South and see Fort DeSoto Park.

Fort DeSoto is just that - a park built around an old fort. It is at the southern-most end of the Clearwater beach strip. We got there and were thirsty. I went out onto a fishing pier which also sold refreshments. I was sorry I hadn't brought my binoculars - I was thrilled to see 2 dolphins swimming near the pier. By the time I ran back to the car to get my binoculars and notify my partner, the dolphins had disappeared. However, there were many pelicans and egrets there on the pier looking for a handout. Some people were feeding them, and even petting them. We got back in the car and headed over to where the Fort is. We took a quick tour of the fort, and then headed out to the beach. There wasn't much around, but I did catch some Willets by the water. It was too bad I hadn't read my directions clearly...I was told from someone who sent me e-mail that the North Beach at Fort DeSoto was the place to go for the birds. We had explored the other end of the park. The sun began to set and it was time to find food and a good movie at Blockbuster Video.

Sunday 1/18

The next day, we had the pleasure of visiting Myakka River State Park near Sarasota. It was kind of unsettling to read that the vultures attack the windshields of parked cars. Fortunately, that warning was only meant for those who visited before 10 am. Unfortunately, most of the park was underwater due to the heavy volume of rain that has fallen there this year. However, the birds were plentiful. We took an airboat tour of the lake, and saw the following: *Anhinga, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Glossy Ibis, tons of Broad-Winged and Red-Shouldered Hawks, and I saw my first alligator. The lake there has about 1200 of them, so they say. We saw about 30 on our 1 hour boat ride. We also saw 2 immature Little Blue Herons (white), many Tri-colored Herons, and 2 Great Blues doing a jubilant mating dance. I couldn't understand how the shorebirds could get so close to the alligators and not be afraid of being eaten. There was a brave turtle on the bank of the lake, too, just a few feet from an alligator. The tour guide told us that when the water is low enough in the lake, fishermen will wade from one side of the lake to another without worry. Then he said that alligators will eat anything that moves and then will eat things that don't move just for the heck of it. Mark and I both decided it was best to stay on solid ground. There were also many Osprey at this park. After the boat ride, we took a tram ride around the muddy park. It wasn't as exciting as the boat ride, but we saw more egrets and red-shouldered hawks. We also got to see 2 Ospreys in a huge nest. We then drove down to the Bird Walk, which is a boardwalk and pier that extends into the lake, and where you are supposed to be able to see tons of shorebirds. Unfortunately, the high water level kept us from having access to the Bird Walk. Just when I thought I would not see a White Ibis on this trip to Florida, one flew over our car as we were leaving the park. Along the road back to the main highway were farms. On the farms I saw Cattle Egrets actually mingling with the cattle. Perched on the telephone wires, I saw several Belted Kingfishers. I continued to see them until we reached the main highway back to our temporary home. They were silhouetted against the setting sun and we enjoyed them on our peaceful drive back.

Monday 1/19

Our final stop was Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. What drew us here was to see the manatee close up. Well there were plenty of those gentle giants, as well as a Florida Crocodile (I didn't know we had crocs in N.A.), alligators, flamingos, Florida Panther, ibis, thousands of fish visible through their "underwater fishbowl" (and there was a hungry cormorant guarding this fishbowl closely!) What was most fascinating about this spot was the Great Blue Heron rookery. They are free birds which were nesting up high above the alligator exhibit. There were about 10 pairs of birds nesting in this small space. It was great to see them coming in for a landing. Other free birds which I spotted here were a Black-and-White Warbler and a pair of Northern Cardinals. Plenty of egrets here as well. It was a short trip through this zoo-type park. We headed to the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs to pick up souvenirs. Then we had a yummy lasagna dinner with the family.

Tuesday 1/20

Back in New York by afternoon....now I know what migrating birds see when they fly over Queens...lots of houses, but also lots of open green spaces, like cemeteries and parks. It was nice to get a "bird's-eye-view" of my hometown.

The only disappointment was that I didn't get to see my dream bird...the Roseate Spoonbill. I also didn't get to go to the famous Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. I guess I'll just have to go back again someday!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my report. I sure enjoyed experiencing Florida and sharing it with you. Thank you to all of you who sent me suggestions on where to find birds.

Christina

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